The present invention relates to a device for mounting electronic components on a substrate and the method of mounting.
A device for mounting semiconductor chips, or other such electronic components, on a substrate comprises a feeding section for supplying electronic components, which feeding section being provided with a number of parts feeders, such as tape feeders. Each of the respective parts feeders stores electronic components for a certain predetermined quantity. As soon as the supply of an electronic component stops during mounting operation, relevant parts feeder needs to be replenished with new electronic components. For conducting the components replenishment operation, conventionally, the mounting device has to be stopped once in its mounting action and the mounting operation can only be resumed after the relevant parts feeder is filled with the electronic components.
Recently, as a result of the increased number of component counts mounted on one substrate and the increased speed of mounting, the frequency of discontinuation of the supply of parts during mounting operation has increased. Consequently, a mounting device is compelled to stop the mounting action quite often for the replenishment of electronic components. Loading rate of mounting devices has thus been deteriorating, and there has been a strong request to decrease the frequency of machine stops.
The present invention aims to offer an electronic components mounting device, as well as the method of mounting, with which the frequency of machine stops due to discontinued parts supply can be lowered to an improved machine loading rate.
An electronic components mounting device in accordance with the present invention comprises a feeding section for feeding electronic components and a transfer head for picking up and mounting the electronic component provided through the feeding section on a substrate. The feeding section is formed of a plurality of feeder bases having parts feeders detachably attached thereon, and drawing means for drawing each of the feeder bases independently to each other to a position for replenishing the electronic components.
A method of mounting electronic components in accordance with the present invention comprises the steps of attaching the parts feeders on each of the plurality of feeder bases, and transferring electronic components stored in the parts feeder on a substrate using the transfer head. When replenishing either one of the parts feeders with electronic components, only a feeder base having the parts feeder that needs components replenishment is drawn to a position for replenishing the electronic components.
With an electronic components mounting device of the present invention, it is possible to draw out only a feeder base having the parts feeder that has caused discontinuation of component supply, while the mounting action can keep on going using other parts feeders attached on the remaining feeder base. This arrangement significantly contributes to reduce the stop times of a mounting device due to discontinuation of the components supply.
Furthermore, in a case where a tape feeder is used for the parts feeder, it is preferred to organize so that, while a feeder base has been drawn to the position for replenishing the electronic components, the front cut end of empty tape stays within a discharge guide section which has been provided for guiding the empty tape. Under such configuration, it turns out to be unnecessary to insert the front end of an empty tape into the discharge guide section again at each time of components replenishment.
It is also preferred that the tape feeders that handle tapes of a same tape material are attached on a same feeder base. By so organizing, the empty tapes can be reclaimed separately by the materials in the reclaim boxes provided under the respective feeder bases.